Davide Zappacosta is Atalanta’s latest acquisition, having been brought in from Chelsea in a €9m permanent deal. In his first words as a Nerazzurri, the former youth product reflected on how strange it is to be back at the club he left first in 2011 and then in 2015, only to see himself back with La Dea six years later.
The Italian full-back has completed his medical tests in Bergamo and signed his contract in the presence of Atalanta’s Technical Area Manager Giovanni Sartori.
Zappacosta has played for many different in Italy – including Torino, Genoa and Roma but had his heart set on returning back to Bergamo with Atalanta, the club that launched him into professional football.
Speaking to Atalanta’s official website upon his return in his first interview, he said: “Let’s just say my adventure began with Atalanta, they launched me in football and I am proud to be back here as a grown man aged 29 and with a lot more experience.”
Since Zappacosta’s departure from the club in 2015 to Torino, the Bergamo club have gone from strength to strength, revamping their whole philosophy and giving fellow Italian big guns a run for their money in Serie A.
“My first season with Atalanta was pretty difficult, as we were fighting for Serie A survival. Now I find Atalanta have grown so much, from the club to the squad and even the training ground. They deserved all of this,” he said.
The club will also undertake its third consecutive season in the UEFA Champions League, after finishing third in Serie A last season.
Adding further, Zappacosta said: “I still got goosebumps when I saw the youth sector where I was living and think back to all the sacrifices I made to get here. Atalanta gave me my Serie A debut and I was always so glad to see them play in the Champions League.”
He is likely to make his third debut for the club against Bologna in Serie A’s second match day on 28 August.
? "L'Atalanta mi ha lanciato nel calcio dei grandi e per me è un motivo di orgoglio essere tornato qui da uomo"
? "#Atalanta launched my senior career, and it makes me proud to have come back here as a man"@DZappacosta's first words ?? https://t.co/cQF95TOGcI pic.twitter.com/vwFlATPPqM
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) August 25, 2021